In the days of email, attachments were all the rage. Those days are gone. It's time to say RIP to old-school attachments and start using links instead.
Wondering why? Here's a comparison.
Functions
Links
Attachments
Place on webpage
Yes
No
Share in form or application
Yes
No
Add to document
Yes
No
Use up storage space
No
Yes
Send in any text messaging / chat service
Yes
No
Make you seem out of touch
No
Yes
Device agnostic
Yes
No
Need more convincing? Here's another scenario:
You are at a meeting or class and the person running things asked if everyone got the old-school email with some important information. Some did. Some didn't. The email with attachments and other info is sent again. It goes to some people's spam. Some have the wrong email and never got it. Next thing you know, you've wasted 20 minutes. You could have avoided all that, by just having a link on your agenda with the information and materials.
4 Steps to Turning Attachments Into Links
Step 1:
Go to Google Drive and select upload file.
Step 2:
Right click on file and select "Get shareable link."
Step 3:
Copy link.
Step 4:
Select text to hyperlink. Select Ctrl +K. Paste link. Select apply.
That's it! You now have a link that can be accessed from any device that you can use and copy / paste into any website, document, email, blog.
The next time someone asks you to share, pause before you attach and send a link instead. Your friends will thank you.
Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.
Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of her employer.
